Duke-North Carolina. Red Sox-Yankees. Auburn-Alabama. Harvard-Yale. For a while, Avalanche-Red Wings was right there with those storied sports rivalries. Time, contrition and a lessening of the quality of the NHL teams has diluted the once great rivalry. Now, the teams aren't even in the same conference.

Not only are the Avs without a great rival, the same can be said for the other pro teams here. That might be a product of geography. It's easier to develop a bitter rival when teams are close together, vying for the attention of the populace. The lack of a rival could also be because of tradition. The oldest team in Denver, the Broncos, didn't debut until 1960. The Red Sox and Yankees, on the other hand, go back to the early 1900s.

Here's a look at the best rivals of Denver pro teams, as judged by Denver Post beat writers.

Avalanche

It has cooled a lot, but it's still the Red Wings. No other team brings more interest to Avalanche fans than a game against Detroit. The Pepsi Center usually is sold out, thanks in part to a strong contingent wearing Wings jerseys. First-year Avs coach Patrick Roy wants to get a good rivalry going with new Central Division mate Chicago, but it will take a lot for that to match the one with the Wings.

Broncos

Their best rivalry now is with the New England Patriots, the team that turned Mike Shanahan from mastermind to mediocre when he was coaching the Broncos. The Patriots are the team that doused Tebowmania in the playoffs. And now that the Broncos have Peyton Manning, the Manning-Tom Brady rivalry becomes Denver's rivalry. The Oakland Raiders haven't been a Denver rival since the early 2000s. Rivalries matter only when both teams are good.

Geographically, the Nuggets' rival is the Utah Jazz. More than against any other NBA team, games with the Jazz have been the most heated over the years. But the Nuggets have no fierce rival. Games with Seattle used to have a good bite to them, but the Supersonics are long gone.

Rapids

The most heated and embraced rivalry is the Rapids' back-and-forth one with Real Salt Lake (nicknamed "Fake Salt Lake" by Rapids fans). The rivalry grew with players swapping sides, then exploded with Pablo Mastroeni's notorious stuffing of a jersey down his shorts after a game. It continues with the annual Rocky Mountain Cup trophy residing in Colorado after the Rapids won this season's series. It's an MLS rivalry at every level — the front office, the players and the fans.

Rockies

Rocktober reached its pinnacle when the Rockies swept Arizona in the 2007 NLCS. There was bad blood during the series and it looked like the Rockies would have a real rival in the NL West. Alas, the Rockies' ineptitude and the Diamondbacks' indifferent fan base (22nd in home attendance this year) have chilled any hopes of a rivalry. Giants? Dodgers? They are rivals of the other, not the Rockies.

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